Mirror's Edge

Sh1nobu

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Nov 23, 2009
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So instead of discussing Space RPGs and GOTYs, I'd like to discuss a gem-of-a-game from 2009 that I really liked - Mirror's Edge.

Yes, there were sections that made you yell at the monitor (in a bad way), the sub-par story and gameplay elements where you just had to ask "Why would you do this to your OWN game?".

But these flaws are completely overshadowed by the fact that the game just feels so darn good to play. Mirror's Edge just clicks a lot more for me than Meat Boy or the PoP games. That feeling you get when you finally manage to clear that speedrun section in a record time. That feeling you get when you execute a slide into a wallrun into a run-turn-jump. That feeling you get when the whole city's below you and you can just run around. No other game has done that for me.

I think Mirror's Edge is one of the most underrated games ever. I have high hopes that a sequel will get released eventually, and that it will remove some of the more..uh..terrible parts.

So, what do you think about Mirror's Edge?
 

museofdoom

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I absolutely loved Mirror's edge! Although it definitely had it's flaws. I really wanted them to make a sequel because then maybe they could work out the flaws and have a really perfect game! It was such an amazing concept that they really shouldn't let die.
Basically I loved the free running but hated it when it got interrupted by combat. Like I wouldn't have minded the combat if it wasn't so crappy. >.<
But yeah, that's my two cents.
 

Amethyst Wind

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Apr 1, 2009
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Sh1nobu said:
So instead of discussing Space RPGs and GOTYs, I'd like to discuss a gem-of-a-game from 2009 that I really liked - Mirror's Edge.

Yes, there were sections that made you yell at the monitor (in a bad way), the sub-par story and gameplay elements where you just had to ask "Why would you do this to your OWN game?".

But these flaws are completely overshadowed by the fact that the game just feels so darn good to play. Mirror's Edge just clicks a lot more for me than Meat Boy or the PoP games. That feeling you get when you finally manage to clear that speedrun section in a record time. That feeling you get when you execute a slide into a wallrun into a run-turn-jump. That feeling you get when the whole city's below you and you can just run around. No other game has done that for me.

I think Mirror's Edge is one of the most underrated games ever. I have high hopes that a sequel will get released eventually, and that it will remove some of the more..uh..terrible parts.

So, what do you think about Mirror's Edge?
The sequel would be created by EA. I have no faith in their single-player mode commitment and have no interest in speedrunning against others when you're supposed to be getting around as you want to, not being railroaded.

If they do end up making a sequel I'd hire Rockstar to make it, let them make a great open world to run around in, not levels like in the first one.

Also, don't cripple a writer of Rhianna Pratchett's abilities. Don't leave so much on the cutting room floor.

I loved Mirror's Edge but a sequel, as it stands, is not something to be desired.
 

Johnny Novgorod

Bebop Man
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Feb 9, 2012
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I liked the game and I'm surprised it doesn't come up more often (though that happens a lot, so maybe it's just me). I'm not sure it's "better" than Prince of Persia, though. Both games have something interesting to say about the platformer genre - for PoP, it's the dream-come-true of being able to correct platforming mistakes on the spot and weaving it into the narrative; for Mirror's Edge, I think, it's the immersive feel of 1st person parkour. In the end it boils down to core mechanic vs. immersion... and I think in that sense PoP is the stronger case. Mirror's Edge is a fun and novel experience but on a grander scale it errs more often than not. The combat. The non-plot. The many sins of 1st platforming as well. Back to PoP, it did all those things right - the combat, though a bit repetitive, was never anywhere near frustrating; the plot, though standard-issue, was enrichened by the Prince, his arc and his interactions with Farah; and of course, 3rd person platforming, though not "immersive" per se, allows for a level of precision 1st person does not.
 

scorptatious

The Resident Team ICO Fanboy
May 14, 2009
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Ehhhh...

I didn't like it.

*raises flame shield*

I liked the idea of it. Being able to jump across buildings and do acrobatics in first person.

Sadly, I felt the game sorta floundered in execution. Half the time, I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to be going. And that usually happens when I'm getting chased by the cops, who killed me numerous times as I tried to figure out where the heck I needed to go. I also didn't really like the combat system in the game. I mean, I understand that I'm a person who isn't wearing any armor and wouldn't survive a couple of bullets. But if the tutorial and loading screens were any indication, the combat system was supposed to be pretty interesting and can get me out of tight situations. I found I couldn't really use it very well, so I ended up either running away from my enemies or shooting them.

The story and characters were pretty uninteresting to me. After the end of the level where you shoot the vehicle carrying Faith's sister, I thought the game was over. As all I really got from the story was that I needed to save Faith's sister who was framed for murder. Then there was a cutscene showing one one of Faith's friends dying, and I thought. "Meh, probably just some sequel hook". But then I found I still had one more level to go through. I wasn't really excited about playing anymore of the game at that point, but I soldiered on.

Numerous deaths and trial and error later, I beat the rather unsatisfying final section and saved Faith's sister (again? I thought we already saved her.)And the game was finally over.

I sent the game back to GameStop a few days later and never looked back.

No offense to anyone here who likes the game, I just couldn't find much to enjoy out of it. :/
 

DoPo

"You're not cleared for that."
Jan 30, 2012
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museofdoom said:
I absolutely loved Mirror's edge! Although it definitely had it's flaws. I really wanted them to make a sequel because then maybe they could work out the flaws and have a really perfect game! It was such an amazing concept that they really shouldn't let die.
Then you might be happy to know that they are making a sequel!

Amethyst Wind said:
The sequel would be created by EA. I have no faith in their single-player mode commitment and have no interest in speedrunning against others when you're supposed to be getting around as you want to, not being railroaded.
Erm, Mirror's Edge 2 is made by DICE, the people who did, you know, Mirror's Edge. Now, whether it's going to be a good or a bad thing is still up to debate and we still can't say anything for sure. I'd at least grant DICE the opportunity to show use some trailers or do press releases or, really, revealing anything about the game before judging it.

museofdoom said:
Basically I loved the free running but hated it when it got interrupted by combat. Like I wouldn't have minded the combat if it wasn't so crappy. >.<
I didn't mind the combat at all. In fact I really liked it - it encouraged more running. And I did love the running sections. The one thing I think ME missed was some free running mode. Probably call it "Deliveries" and you just get a load of rooftops and have to go somewhere, take a package, then go somewhere else and deliver it. That's all. And/or you can just run around, too.

scorptatious said:
No offense to anyone here who likes the game, I just couldn't find much to enjoy out of it. :/
No offence taken. I like the game, that doesn't mean I don't recognise its flaws or the fact it has them. I am well aware that not everybody would like it, and heck, I can't even disagree with any of your points. I just liked it despite those.

Well, and I actually loved the final scene, it makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

 

Fractral

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Feb 28, 2012
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It would have been much better open world. The linear progression really hindered the game. I'd say it was also too short- I wasn't even trying and I completed it in 3 hours- and some of the levels are a bit shit, like the 8th mission. I liked it, but it could have been so much better if only some other company had been making it.
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

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Sep 1, 2010
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Amethyst Wind said:
If they do end up making a sequel I'd hire Rockstar to make it, let them make a great open world to run around in, not levels like in the first one.
I really hate making the mindset that making such and such into an open world game would be so awesome. Open world games usually have poor level design due to making a huge world and each area has less focus. Platformers require top-notch level design, which is a characteristic that is not present in an open world game. Prince of Persia (2008) mainly failed due to being open world and the level design found in say The Sands of Time just wasn't there.
 
Jun 13, 2009
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I greatly enjoyed the parkour sections in it. The story was a bit mediocre, but I felt it was fairly well executed, and was made far more bearable by the incredibly stark scenery and the great concept for the gameplay.

I think it was mostly let down by requiring combat. To begin with, combat was fairly optional, I liked that I could strategically take out one guy, keep my pace and escape the main body of guards, but towards the end the firefights become almost impossible to skip and fighting becomes a requirement. The combat was too clumsily implemented to back up that requirement, and just ended up causing frustration and entirely breaking the flow of what was, up until those points, a fantastic game.

I actually just bought it (again) for the PC, since I sold my Xbox earlier in the year. Thank you steam sales :D
 

AlbertoDeSanta

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Sep 19, 2012
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It was alright. Hardly a game that I'd recommend to the whole universe. The Parkour was fun but it was incredibly... unpolished. At times I felt the devs could have easily have put more effort into it, especially with the Levels. But I don't blame Dice. They made a decent title. I blame EA, for the inevitable rush they put the Devs in at last minute.
The story was as bland as bland can be with the characters uninteresting and dull. The visuals were good but not great and the soundtrack was not too bad. There are many flaws in Mirror's Edge, but if it had a little more time, it could have been much better. The choice to have levels and not a city is another major letdown in the game since it makes it far more linear.
 

trollnystan

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Dec 27, 2010
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I never finished it. Not because I didn't like it though. I got it for the PC and for some reason there is serious lag issues with it, even with the graphics on low. NOT a game that is kind if it lags.

SAD FACE =(
 

Mutie

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Feb 2, 2009
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I bought and started playing this game literally today... And I fucking love it!! I understand both the gameplay and narrative issues. HOWEVER. A vagabond cyberpunk Asian lass parkouring it around a huge, gleaming, horrifically corrupt totalitarian dystopia in a video game which focuses on non-violent assessment and execution of puzzles using a organic player interface? Get in! Me and my bro (as blasphemous as it may be to some) have just started calling in Parkour Portal. Parkourtal.
 

ThisGuyLikesNoTacos

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Dec 7, 2012
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Mirror's Edge was the first game which I couldn't finish because I simply disliked it too much. So you can guess what I think about it.

I hated how I had to use guns in it, how unclear where you had to go was sometimes, and that stupid QTE where that big boss man tries to throw you off the roof (press counter in a fraction of a second, yay). I died there about seven times and each time had to wait about 20 seconds before I could try it again...

I hope the sequel can make you feel free, because that's what I expected of the original.
 

Jimmy T. Malice

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Dec 28, 2010
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Mutie said:
I bought and started playing this game literally today... And I fucking love it!! I understand both the gameplay and narrative issues. HOWEVER. A vagabond cyberpunk Asian lass parkouring it around a huge, gleaming, horrifically corrupt totalitarian dystopia in a video game which focuses on non-violent assessment and execution of puzzles using a organic player interface? Get in! Me and my bro (as blasphemous as it may be to some) have just started calling in Parkour Portal. Parkourtal.
Both games also end with a song called 'Still Alive'.
 

DoPo

"You're not cleared for that."
Jan 30, 2012
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Mutie said:
Me and my bro (as blasphemous as it may be to some) have just started calling in Parkour Portal. Parkourtal.
That actually seems appropriate, somehow. The game did remind me of Portal yet I can't exactly place my finger on what exactly was it that did it.
 

Proverbial Jon

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Nov 10, 2009
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Sh1nobu said:
I think Mirror's Edge is one of the most underrated games ever. I have high hopes that a sequel will get released eventually, and that it will remove some of the more..uh..terrible parts.
This. Absolutely all of this.

I Love Mirror's Edge, I played the damn thing 3 times in a row when I bought it. Normally I'm not attracted to games with terrible storylines but the sprawling vistas and exhilarating gameplay just had me hooked.

It's also in my list of top 5 games that caused aneurysm inducing frustration... but with a coherent storyline, proper cut-scenes and some slight tweaks to the free-running (I'm looking at you drainpipes!) a sequel could be my GOTY.

DoPo said:
Well, and I actually loved the final scene, it makes me warm and fuzzy inside.
You and me both. I love that damn song, it always reminds me of that final moment whenever it comes up on my iPod.

EDIT: I find it rather curious that London also has a towering glass structure known as The Shard...


 

Reaper195

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Gameplay flaws? The only thing about the gameplay I wasn't a fan of was a incredibly simple gunplay, which was designed like that so you didn't want to pick up a gun. Aside from that, the only problem I had with the game was the story, and the weirdly animated cut scenes. For the sequel, the only three changes I'd like is 1: A better story, although continuing on from the first, 2: in-game engine cutscenes (Or even better, fully pre-rendered cut scenes. Those always look fantastic in games) and 3: OPEN WORLD! Assassin's Creed had some free running, but it didn't have anything agains tthe parkour of Mirror's Edge, something people seem to commonly mistake as the same.
 

Bad Jim

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ThisGuyLikesNoTacos said:
I hated how I had to use guns in it
IIRC the XBox version had an achievement for doing a pacifist run. So I'm sure it's possible to get through without shooting. It was a lot easier to shoot in many places though. I found that QTE annoying too.
 

Sh1nobu

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Nov 23, 2009
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Bad Jim said:
ThisGuyLikesNoTacos said:
I hated how I had to use guns in it
IIRC the XBox version had an achievement for doing a pacifist run. So I'm sure it's possible to get through without shooting. It was a lot easier to shoot in many places though. I found that QTE annoying too.
I can second that. I've just completed a no-combat (barring that one time) run.
 
Jun 11, 2009
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I would love a sequel if for no other reason than to see the visual style again, and how they render the downtrodden poor areas mentioned in the first.

I never played the first, but I've seen it in its entirety. I would love to see a sequel if Dice are allowed to do what they want with the game, and make a proper cyberpunk/dystopian narrative in addition to improving the gameplay. It seems pretty obvious what did and didn't work in the first game, and I have confidence that Dice would be able to do it well.

And there's a lot of room for expansion, too. If they did (what I feel to be) the right thing and eschewed guns entirely, they could give players a bunch of ways to take down enemies while still maintaining the sense of freedom and flow. I mean, Faith isn't the biggest person, but a shoulder tackle move that allowed players to deal with a guard while still maintaining a fast pace would be a godsend. Add to that jump kicks, jump punches (they do too look cool, shut up), flying knees . . .

Point being, there are a lot of ways for you to deal with people without using guns, and would it not just be the sickest thing ever to run at a guy at full speed and just jump up and snap kick the guy in his face and keep running like nothing happened?

Also, and this is related, I swear, does anyone else remember that thing you can sometimes do in AssCreed, if the engine is feeling cooperative, where you jump towards someone from a rooftop, land on them, and use them as a cushion by kneeing them in the chest? Because that move is my fetish as far as parkour/fighting/whatever moves go. I love it so much, and if they implemented that in Mirror's Edge 2: The Bleeding Edge of Edginess, I would literally be content to do that to NPCs and guards all day.